NZXT Tempest Evo Case Review

Return of the King?

I’ll never get tired of reviewing cases. Sure, I don’t get to do the kind of extensive testing that’s reserved for internal hardware, but there’s something about a gaming case that grabs my attention and doesn’t let go. I’ve been known to procrastinate when it comes to work. Unless I open my door to a friendly Fed-Ex man with a large box that says NZXT on the side. Then I’m on that like a fat kid on a box of Twinkies. So I jumped like a mentally retarded school girl watching the previews for the new Twilight movie when I was offered the NZXT Tempest Evo gaming case to review.

The Tempest Evo is a revamp of the original Tempest Enthusiast steel midtower case. The pitch for this version is “The King Reborn”. Reborn? King of what? Well, the King of Airflow you ignorant toads. Now bow before the king! This sucker is coming at you with six (6!) 120mm fans ready to chill your gear like no other. It even comes with all the fans! No scrounging the old fan shelf trying to find a spare 120mm to fit that last open space on the side. And it supports dual water cooling. This is seriously an awesome case. But don’t take my gushing for it, check out what NZXT’s own spec pitch:

Features

The King reborn: Dual 120mm intake, Dual 140mm Exhaust with an additional side 120mm fan and rear 120mm fan makes NZXT Tempest one of top cases in cooling, maximizing air circulation in all areas. The new Tempest EVO has upgraded nine blade design fans that deliver more air at low noise levels

Maximize Expandability: E-ATX support allows more compatibility with high end components including large graphics cards, high end power supplies. and server boards

Enhanced accessibility & cable management: Cable routing is pre-drilled on the motherboard so users can hide cables behind the motherboard tray, allowing more a cleaning look and better airflow. Power, E-SATA, USB and Reset buttons are mounted at the top to give better accessibility. The Tempest EVO has increased space behind the motherboard panel from a punched side panel design and a CPU punchout for heatsink removal

Bottom mounted PSU: PSU mounting at the bottom allows for more security and separation of heat from the CPU

Overclocking and water cooling friendly: The Tempest is predrilled for watercooling tube access and supports a dual 120mm radiator at the top panel.

Black on Black: All new black interior, smoked side panel gives the Tempest an all new sleek look.

Black Enthusiast Steel TowerAnnouncing the Tempest EVO, a sleek, all black, steel mid tower gaming chassis. Building off of the original Tempest’s award winning design, the EVO brings advanced cooling power, expandability, and cable management. The Tempest EVO maximizes airflow circulation with Dual 120mm intake, dual 140mm top exhaust, side 120mm, and a rear 120mm fan. NZXT even redesigned the fan blade design so they effectively deliver more air at lower noise levels. Additionally, the bottom mounted PSU provides better airflow and separation of heat from the CPU.

The Tempest EVO puts a premium on expandability with E-ATX support allowing for compatibility with higher end graphics cards, power supplies and server boards while the server-like HDD space holds up to 8 HDDs ensuring that enthusiasts can make significant upgrades to their system without having to replace the chassis. Installation and upgrades are a breeze with pre-drilled cable routing on the motherboard allowing for a cleaner look and improved airflow. The case also features added space behind the motherboard panel from a punched side panel design that allows for easy heatsink removal. Tempest EVO is well equipped for overclocking and watercooling enthusiasts with predrilled watercooling tube access and support for a dual 120mm radiator at the top panel.

That’s a lot of info to pack into one review. And I still have to put my observations in here. So let’s begin with what comes with the thing. We’ll start with the box. First of all, trying to pick this thing up to sit it on my table for critiquing is a little hard from a sitting position. The entire package weighs 28 pounds. The box art is pretty awesome, featuring a charcoal-style drawing of a what I assume is a God-like entity raising up the Tempest Evo on a pedestal of stone surrounded by jagged rocks.